LAST DAY TO ENTER!!

Submit and idea, review, comment or favourite product and have your name entered for a chance to win the 2010 Busy Body Organizer. Draw date is tomorrow. Check the site tomorrow to see who won!

Product: Favourite Things

Okay, this is not going to be like Oprah's Favourite Things List because I can't afford to give away one of everything on my list, however I have compiled a list of some of the best finds from the last year related to toddlers. Some are free, some are do it yourself, some are luxury products. Maybe some of these will give you a gift idea.

Feel free to submit your own Favourites list...

1. LL Bean Cotton Roll Neck sweater: Cute, soft, washable and the neck is large enough and stretchy enough to get over a cranky toddlers head without a struggle.  Reg $26.50

2: Dapper Snapper: When your kid is skinny this little doo dad saves your child from droopy drawers syndrome.  $13.99 at Coo Chi Coo

3. French Toast at the Rooms Cafe: Our child takes a trip to the Rooms a couple times a month. When he is up for it we have a lunch date at the cafe, we recently discovered toddler - friendly French toast. A bonus - it comes quick, before your toddler loses patience. Two high chairs are available.

4. Lands End Little Climber Pants: Soft, washable, padded knees for more comfortable crawling and softer landings when they fall down - regularly $25-35 (on sale I have seen them as low as $12.99)

5. Baby Mums: These meltaway baby snacks have saved us more than once when we have been running errands and our little one needs something to eat. I think the nutritional value is suspect, but for convenience and safety these are a great way to tie your toddler over until you can make something more substantial and nutritious.

6.  Wool Crib Duvet and Flannel Duvet Cover: These are definitely luxury items, but they are so cozy and warm and well made pieces they are sure to become family heirlooms or at least something that are handed down from one child to the next. I wish they made a grown up version. Both are hand made and available at Nurtured.  $90.00 for the Duvet. $110 for the cover.

7. Bum Genius Diaper Sprayer: We bought this sprayer for cleaning the potty, but it is also intended for cleaning cloth diapers. You install it next to the toilet using the water intake for the toilet tank and it makes clean up a breeze. Although I can't claim to be such a dedicated Earth Mother that I used cloth diapers (I am in admiration of all who are) I can appreciate how valuable this little gadget would be for anyone using cloth.  - 59.00 at Coo Chi Coo

8. Plastic Beasts: Schleich (or another brand) model animals are a great way to help your toddler learn new words and make connections from their story books to their play world to the real world. We have a box full of farm animals and jungle animals and we have selected baby animals and female and male animals. I especially like how real they look. We have also selected animals that are familiar from story books such as Good Night Gorilla . We found ours at Chapters and Michael's. $2.00- $15.00

9. Whole Wheat and Oatmeal Pancakes: I wrote about these before, but they are a breakfast staple. I freeze them and serve them reheated almost every morning with fruit and milk and syrup of course.

10. MEC Toaster Booties:  These are the warmest and cosiest things you can imagine putting on your kid's feet. Not for outdoor walking, but great in the stroller, the carrier, sled, or as a pair of slippers in the house. $25 plus MEC membership fee.

11. Diaper Genie Elite II: After a couple of different diaper pails this one has definitely been the best. No odor, easy to use, and despite my initial skepticism (because of all the parts and all the plastic) it has held up well for us. The bagging system, creates a 'sausage' that is easy to dispose of and traps odor. Downside - needs special bags that aren't cheap but Costco carries them in bulk. I think it was $50 at Wal Mart. I can't remember the exact price.

Fee: Campia Gymnastics

I had never heard of this until I came across it by accident via Google the other day... Campia Gymnastics. It seems to have programs for toddlers very similar to what Little Gym and Cygnus offer, but is in Donovan's  which would make it more convenient for residents of Mount Pearl and West enders. If you have any experience with Campia programs, please submit a review!

Review: Grumpy Bird Story Time

We went to the Grumpy Bird/Jeremy Tankard reading at AC Hunter on Friday, but we didn't get to stay for the whole thing, my toddler was too tired and wouldn't sit still. What we did see of it was entertaining though and there was a large crowd of kids. Jeremy Tankard seemed to be enjoying himself. If anybody stayed for the entire reading I'd love for you to submit your thoughts stjohnstoddler@hotmail.com


Original Post below:

Grumpy Bird Comes to Town! Visit with author Jeremy Tankard
Location: A.C. Hunter Children's Public Library
Friday, November 20, 2009
11:00 - 11:45am on Friday, November 20

Popular Canadian author, Jeremy Tankard, visits the A.C. Hunter Children's Library as a part of his Canadian Children's Book Week tour of the island of Newfoundland. Jeremy is best known for his wonderful picture books about Bird and his friends:

Grumpy Bird & Boo Hoo Bird

Children of all ages, accompanied by an adult, are welcome to attend.

Call 737-3953 for details.

Contest - 1 week left to enter!

Don't forget - if you submit a comment, review or an idea before December 1st , 2009 to stjohnstoddler@hotmail.com you could win a 2010 Busy Body Organizer - Perfect for busy moms and dads. Have a look here www.busybodybook.com/

Every submission counts as a separate entry so submit as many times as you like.

Food: Naan Bread Pizza

These are quick and easy weekday pizza's that my toddler loves. I buy prebaked Naan bread,  my husband calls it 'Nan's Bread') spread it with tomato sauce and then load it up with all kinds of healthy stuff like spinach, sliced grape tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, chicken and anything else I can think of and then cover it with shredded mozzerella cheese. I bake it in the oven or when my toddler is really impatient I will pop it in the microwave.  I can then slice it in to toddler sized bites and he gets a belly full of veggies without any fuss.

The nice thing about this recipe is that I can do a grown up version for me and Husband by using pestos, sundried tomatoes, olives, little hunks of goat cheese, brie and apple slices ... you get the idea.

If you know a great recipe for toddlers, submit it before December 1st, 2009 to stjohnstoddler@hotmail.com and I'll enter your name in the draw for the 2010 Busy Body Organizer!

Book: Nurture Shock

I heard Po Bronson, the author of this book on CBC radio the other day and was so interested in what he had to say that I bought the book. As it says on the book's web site, the premise is "...that many of modern society’s strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring – because key twists in the science have been overlooked."

I won't give it a long review here as I am not finished it yet, but I will say that so far all the science he talks about makes sense to me and that it might challenge a lot of what you believe about parenting and a lot of advice you've been given in the past.

The book is available at Amazon and is also available in an audiobook format which is what I chose because the pile of books by my bedside is not getting any smaller and my commute to work seems an ideal time to squeeze this in.

My husband and I are both listening to it and it's really providing us with lots to think (and talk) about when it comes to our parenting style. I recommend this book if for nothing else then to get you thinking and talking about the parenting approach you have chosen and why. I think it is always a good exercise to review and rationalize any approach you take in life to be sure you are where you want to be and heading toward where you want to go. I read once that our responsibility as parents is to raise good adults, citizens, and contributors to society rather than burdens upon it. To do that we need to have a vision of the kind of person that we are hoping our child will grow to be and our parenting style and choices we make now should serve that goal. I liked that thought a lot, it helps keep me focussed. I think this book speaks well to this idea.

Fee: Reel Babies

Reel Babies is a great program that Empire Theatres offers bi-weekly for new parents. It is a baby group where parents of infants and toddlers can go to see a recent movie and socialize with other new parents with their baby. (They can even vote on what movie they would like to see via www.empiretheatres.ca). The sound and lighting are altered to make it a more baby-friendly setting.

Also, Empire Theatres provides change tables and an area to prepare bottles and there is an exersaucer and rocking chair, etc. It's a great place to go to enter to win some prizes (drawn for before the movie begins).

Submitted by: Amy

If you have an idea, activity, event or anything else you'd like to submit send it to stjohnstoddler@hotmail.com - Submit before December 1, 2009 and your name will be entered in our contest for the Busy Body organizer!

Idea: Facilities Open on Holidays

I have noticed that most, if not all, of the places one might take their child on a holiday afternoon are closed for the holiday. Except of course of public parks.... but The Rooms, Bulldog, Little Gym, Cygnus gym ... these sorts of places, are all closed on holidays.

It's too bad, because for working parents, holidays are some of the few times you would get to take your child to one of these places. I understand respecting a holiday like Remembrance Day, but Christmas and Easter and some of the other religious holidays are not celebrated by everyone.

I assume it is an issue of demand and staffing, but I am sure I am not the only one who would take advantage of a holiday to enjoy some quality time in a play group or activity with my child if I could.

Do you know of an activity centre open on holidays?

News: H1 N1 Confusion- one shot or two?

We took our son to get his H1 N1 vaccine on Saturday We were relieved to get it done, but found the information being relayed very confusing. The World Health Organization said on Friday that kids under two do not need a second dose, but I was told by the nurse who gave our son his shot that we do. A couple who were with us in line were told that one does was sufficient for their 15 month old by the nurse who administered their shot.

The Eastern Health web site says that children under 10 need a second shot. So now we have no idea if he is protected or not.

Have you been confused about all this H1 N1 stuff?

BTW - Not sure how long this link will work but it is useful for concerned parents with questions

Books: Gruffalo and others

The Gruffalo is a wonderful book about a very clever mouse and a monster who is a lot dumber than he is scary. The illustrations are quirky and colourful and it is available in a board book format for toddlers.

This is just one in a series of books written by Joy Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. The books are all are rhyming, but not in a sickly sweet way. They have a nice sense of humour and there is always a fun twist at the end. We have 4 books by this writer now and they are in heavy rotation at our house. If you haven't seen them around we have found most of them in the kids section at Chapters.

I wouldn't be surprised if we soon see a Gruffalo movie. Check out the Gruffalo web site.

Web: Home with Coochicoo

Michelle, owner of Coo Chi Coo, has a new blog. She is home with a new baby boy and is giving her personal experience with many of her Coo Chi Coo products. Should make for some fun and helpful reading.